


Solace

by r2q5



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: M/M, Soft Kylux, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Touch Deprivation, Virgin Hux, Virgin Kylo Ren, touch starvation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-14
Updated: 2018-09-21
Packaged: 2019-07-12 01:37:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15984827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/r2q5/pseuds/r2q5
Summary: It’s new and it’s weird and it’s awkward. They can’t show off, because neither of them had experience even remotely in this area and they both knew it. But perhaps that’s what made it comforting.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Had a shit day and wanted to write something disgustingly sweet. Very short chapter because I just wanted to put something out, but more coming soon.

Kylo wouldn’t say he _expected_ this to happen, per se, or that he particularly _‘saw it coming’_ , but he had imagined it before. Imagined kissing Hux - having sex with him, even. In a vague sort of way.  
  
He imagined it... not violent, exactly, but rough. Aggressive. The way they always were with each other. One of them would finally snap, the tension between them mounting to breaking point, and they would tear at each other’s clothes and fall into bed together like couples did in holofilms.

Kylo was just... curious. What would kissing Hux be like? What did he look like under the uniform? He seemed at one with the First Order, utterly devoted to his work to the point of obsession. He wasn’t sure if Hux even had friends, or a life at all outside of work.

Kylo had never had sex. Had never kissed anyone, either, too awkward and withdrawn as a boy. He wondered if Hux was the same way.

 _Had Hux ever kissed anyone? Did he even like men?_ Or would Hux sneer and laugh at him for his inexperience, his presumptuousness.

They were in Kylo’s quarters when it did happen. Post-Starkiller, post-Crait, post- _Snoke_. Snoke’s death had changed their dynamic in a way they were still adjusting to, unsure of. Emotions were high in the aftermath, but they both realized something soon after:

They were no longer in competition.

Snoke had set them against each other for his own purposes. Their childish rivalry was no longer needed or desired, and it fell away like a withered limb.

Kylo had given Hux the title of Grand Marshal initially to placate him, but Hux took to the role with surprising efficacy. Hux was now his right-hand man, and seemed content with the position.  
  
(Not that the hostility between them was completely gone, though).  
  
Hux was at Kylo’s door that night because Kylo had repeatedly declined a meeting request, and so Hux brought it upon himself to show up to his quarters unannounced. Kylo let him in, eyeroll notwithstanding, knowing he was going to have to listen to him sooner or later. Hux was nothing if not persistent.

The door had barely shut behind him before Hux began to launch into his prepared reports. Kylo only paid half-attention to his words, studying Hux’s face. He looked pale, tired, running on autopilot as he spoke.  
  
Kylo was occupied with his own thoughts and responsibilities, particularly regarding the whereabouts of the Resistance- Hux was going on about repair budgets or something and Kylo simply didn’t have space in his mind at the moment to concern himself with administrative duties. Even watching Hux ramble on was exhausting.  
  
“Given that timeline, about 90% of the Finalizer would be functional by the end of the month,” Hux said, swiping to a new page on his datapad. “That’s option five. However, the Supremacy and the rest of the fleet would be put on hold as we divert resources to the-“  
  
“Hux,” Kylo interjected.  
  
“-adjacent sector- _What_?”  
  
“I gave you the title of Grand Marshal for a reason. Delegation.”  
  
Hux flushed with indignation, clutching his datapad tighter.  
  
“This isn’t some- _trivial matter_ , this is our fleet at stake-”

“Give me that-” Kylo said, grabbing the datapad from Hux’s hands.

“ _Hey!_ ”

Kylo threw the datapad away from him, onto the couch.

“We’re gone over this several times,” Kylo said. “I already told you my decision. I want the Finalizer and the other Destroyers repaired as quickly as possible. Everything else is second in priority.”  
  
“Factors have changed, Supreme Leader, the High Command is getting anxious about the toll on our-”  
  
“I don’t care about High Command. They take orders from me. And you.”  
  
“If we want to maintain a loyal empire it’s crucial that we keep favor with them, as well as-”

Kylo rolled his eyes.

“I’m serious! That means making timely decisions and communications with regards to the repairs, among other things. We need to oversee the relocation of officers that were stationed on the destroyed ships as well, come up with a more permanent plan for them aside from our current solution which is-”

Kylo grabbed him by the shoulders and kissed him, silencing him.  
  
He didn’t think about it until his lips were already on Hux’s, still partially open from his cut-off speech. He wanted Hux to _shut up_ and it just.... happened.

His shoulders were stiff and bony under the padded fabric, his lips soft and his breath warm-  
  
He noticed Hux wasn’t responding, frozen, and went cold with dread, hoping he hadn’t just ruined the tentative peace between them.  
  
He took his hands off Hux’s shoulders and drew back, embarrassed. Hux blinked, face red, but quickly grabbed Kylo’s head and pulled him back in.  
  
_Oh. Okay then._

The kiss was... slow. Tentative. Not at all like Kylo had imagined. It felt odd, but in a good way. Hux’s lips were soft and the feeling of them moving underneath his own was pleasurable in a way he couldn’t describe. He sucked gently on Hux’s lower lip and ran his tongue tentatively over it. Hux tasted like the disgusting tea he was so fond of, and Kylo couldn’t get enough of it.  
  
Hux pulled back minutely to take a breath, close enough still that their lips were almost touching, breathing in the same air.

“Is this…” Kylo started, barely audible.

Hux kissed him again, silencing him. They pulled back again and Kylo almost started laughing- not that this was funny, he just felt so... _odd._ A sort of nervous happiness that made him finally understand the phrase " _butterflies in your stomach."_

Unsure of how to handle it, he wrapped his arms around Hux and hugged him.

Hux hugged him back, and they stayed like that more a few minutes more, just… standing there. Feeling each other’s touch. Warm, like a blanket. Like a drink of water when he hadn’t even known he was parched.

Kylo couldn’t remember the last time he had felt a friendly touch at all, much less shared a hug with someone. He wondered if it was the same with Hux.

He heard a sniffle and drew back, looking at Hux. His eyes were red and watery, avoiding Kylo’s gaze. Hux rubbed his face with his sleeve, embarrassed.

“Don’t say anything,” Hux muttered.

“No it’s- I get it, me too-”

“I thought I just told you to shut up,” Hux said, without any real malice.

And then they did laugh. Just a small, unbelieving chuckle at the oddity of their situation.

“Maybe we can. Go over these reports again,” Hux said, carefully. “In my quarters, next time, if that’s favorable for you?”

“Oh yeah. Yeah. Um.” Kylo played with the seam of his robes nervously. “Tomorrow? Same um- time?”

"Y-yeah. Same time.”

Hux left as quickly as he came, leaving his datapad on the couch. Kylo could still feel the phantom touch of Hux’s lips that lingered on his own as he watched the door slide shut.


	2. Chapter 2

It became a routine. Hux _loved_ routines.   
  
Every day near the end of Delta shift, at approximately 2200 hours, Hux would go to Kylo’s quarters or Kylo’s to his, depending on the day. They would kiss, standing up, for approximately five minutes and then hug for an unspecified amount of time, which sometimes led to more kissing.   
  
Hux found himself looking forward to it - he had the slightest of a bounce in his step whenever he walked to Kylo’s quarters. He thought he was above such things as affection. But it felt good. To just... feel someone’s else’s touch, without the expectation of anything more. Nothing messy, nothing complex.

It was just a routine.

And then Kylo threw a wrench in it.

* * *

They were in Kylo’s quarters again, holding onto each other as they did almost every night. Hux’s head was resting on Kylo’s shoulder, and he felt his heartbeat faintly through the layers of their clothing. His eyelids were starting to droop- it was about the time where Hux normally left to retire to his own bed.

He sighed and started to pull away, but Kylo held onto Hux reluctantly, not wanting him to leave.

"It’s already late,” Kylo muttered against his shoulder. “What if you just stayed the night?”   
  
Hux stiffened. His immediate reaction was _no_ , but then... _why not?_   
  
His mind quickly answered that for him, with a thousand different reasons why that couldn’t happen. What they had worked. It was convenient, it was mutually beneficial and uncomplicated. He couldn’t get greedy and ask for more, lest the whole thing fall apart.

He was too scared of what might happen.

“I don’t have any of my stuff here. A toothbrush- or a clean uniform,” Hux said, instead.

“You could go and get it,” Kylo said with a shrug.

“Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of staying over for convenience?”

Kylo pulled away from him, annoyed.

“Fine. Forget I asked.” He was avoiding eye contact, embarrassed.

“Next time, though-” Hux spoke quickly before his own self-preservation could stop him, “I could bring a bag?”

Kylo’s eyes lit back up.

“Yeah, let’s- that'd be great,” he said, flashing that awkward smile that Hux secretly loved seeing.

“We normally meet in my quarters on Primeday, though-“

“You could just… come here instead?” Kylo said.

Hux paused.

“Well- I suppose that also works,” Hux answered.

“Yeah.”

“I’ll be here then. With a bag. Normal time…” Hux said, retrieving his greatcoat from where it had been draped across the couch.

“Goodnight, Kylo.”

Hux turned to go, but Kylo grabbed him one more time and kissed him before he left.

“Goodnight, Hux.”

 

* * *

His upcoming ~~sleepover~~ _overnight appointment_ with Kylo was practically all he could think about the next day. He holed himself up in his office, throwing himself into reports and spreadsheets and anything else he could find to distract himself. He triple checked expense reports and read his speech drafts backwards, scanning for errors. But the anticipation was ever-present, buzzing constantly in the back of his mind.

He had a feeling in the pit of his stomach he couldn’t identify, like the night before a big exam at the academy, but… different. He was scared out of his mind, excited, anxious, wanting it to _be the end of his shift already_ and dreading it at the same time.

He must be going crazy. It was the only explanation.

Regardless, at 2130 hours, Hux was back in his quarters, packing an overnight bag. One clean uniform. One set of nightwear. Two sets of underwear. A toothbrush, toothpaste. Hair gel. Comb. Medication.

Hux held his weekly pill container in his hand, debating on whether or not he should pack it. He could take it now, but he normally took it right before bed, after brushing his teeth, because that’s how he had always done it. He could risk Kylo seeing him take his meds, or screw up another routine.

Hux threw it in, deciding to take the chance.

 

* * *

Their evening ritual proceeded mostly as normal, and the feel of Kylo’s lips and his body against his helped quell some of his anxiety. The motions were soothing and familiar, but still gave Hux “ _butterflies”,_ as Kylo had described it one night.

Kylo pulled away, wiping his lips.

“Do you normally go to bed around this time?” He asked. Hux was distracted by Kylo’s slightly kiss-swollen lips, and the thought that he was responsible for them.

Hux shrugged.

“Normally I lay in bed and work on my datapad for a few more hours.”

Kylo frowned.

“You shouldn’t do that. It’s bad for your sleep.”

“Oh, you’re a sleep scientist now?”

“I read it on the holonet.”

"The holonet that’s bad for your sleep?”

“It’s not the holonet that’s bad for your sleep, it’s- Nevermind. Why don’t we just get ready for bed? It’s not like some extra sleep would hurt you.”

“I suppose so,” Hux said, only because he didn’t think he would be able to get any work done tonight, anyway. “May I use your fresher, then?” He asked, glancing towards the bag he brought with him.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s just- right in here,” Kylo said, leading him towards the bedroom.

Hux grabbed the bag as he followed Kylo into the adjacent fresher. It was surprisingly clean and orderly. What he had seen of Kylo’s quarters so far was always rather well-kept, but he had assumed Kylo had just been tidying up for his visits.

Kylo closed the door behind him, leaving Hux alone. Hux unzipped his bag and pulled out his nightclothes, setting them on the counter and then carefully undressing and folding his uniform.

He washed himself in the refresher quickly, scrubbing the gel out of his hair and washing down his body quickly. He noticed Kylo didn’t use the standard-issue shampoo and body wash normally provided on the ship, the bottles were different and expensive-looking. Interesting.

Not wanting to keep Kylo waiting, he turned off the water, towelling off quickly and changing into his nightclothes.

Typically he only wore briefs and an undershirt to bed, but the idea of being so undressed in front of Kylo made his cheeks burn red. Even if they were technically… whatever they were.  So, he had a matching set of grey nightclothes that covered most of his body. They were First Order regulation - he still wasn’t used to sleeping in these, but it was better than the alternative.

He wasn’t even sure why he had said yes to Kylo, when everything in his mind was screaming that it was a bad idea. He was never one to follow his emotions over his intellect, he thought, pulling out the toothbrush and toothpaste from his bag.

Perhaps he didn’t want to disappoint him? No, there was still a part of him that was excited about this, in a juvenile way. He… liked being near Kylo. And he had never slept in the same bed as someone else. It was something he secretly wanted to experience, at least once.

As he was brushing his teeth, he heard a knock on the door.

“May I come in?” Kylo asked

Hux spit into the sink.

“Oh- yes, it’s unlocked.”

Kylo walked in, dressed only in a pair of briefs and a large t-shirt, which caught Hux off-guard. He looked away quickly, blushing.

“Do you need the fresher?”

“No, I shower in the mornings. Just need to brush my teeth.”

Hux nodded and stepped back, letting Kylo use the sink. He finished quickly and left Hux alone again. He tried hard not to look at Kylo’s rear end as he left the room.

Hux combed his wet hair back, then reached down into his bag to retrieve his medication. He popped open the little box for Primeday and emptied the pills into his hand, popping them into his mouth with a quick sip of water from the faucet.

The door opened again as he swallowed and Hux panicked for a moment, unsure of what to do with the container in his hand.

Kylo, not seeming to notice Hux’s miniature crisis, walked right next to him and opened the refresher cabinet, pulling out a similar looking container. He dumped an intimidating variety of pills into his palm and swallowed them dry. Then he noticed Hux watching him.

“What,” Kylo said, defensively.

“Nothing, nothing, um- I think I’m ready for bed.”

Hux threw his pill container into his bag as casually as he could.

Kylo nodded and exited the refresher, turning off the light as he left. The bedroom was dark now except for the lamp by Kylo’s bedside.

“Hey,” Kylo said softly, putting a large hand on Hux’s arm. Had Kylo’s eyes always been that big? So open and- vulnerable?

“Hey,” Hux answered, a little choked.

“Your pajamas are cute.”

Hux scoffed and blushed, and Kylo leaned in and kissed him. Hux was buzzing with nervousness, but it seemed like Kylo was as well. It seemed more intimate, dressed down as they were in the dark, in a way Hux wasn’t quite sure he was ready for yet. But Kylo didn’t push him. It was the same as it always was- soft and slow, careful kisses, never rushed.

They finished with a hug. Feeling Kylo’s bare arms and the solid form of his body under the thin t-shirt made Hux’s heart beat faster. He was so _warm_.

“I’m really happy you agreed to spend the night,” Kylo muttered against his shoulder. Hux nodded, unsure of what to say.

They slept on opposite sides of the bed that night. Hux woke up the next morning with his fingers spread over Kylo’s, hands just barely touching.

He didn’t know how that happened, but he let it be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeehaw


End file.
